The sound was the first tip and it sent Dereck Grey's father
running from the stands.

When Grey's body went limp everyone knew that the Desert Vista
senior was in trouble.

Still, his mom stayed in the stands until she received a call from
her husband, and then she was no longer just a concerned
parent.

"I went into nurse mode," Deanna Grey said. "When I was in the
stands I was holding off as a mom because I knew Dereck wouldn't
want me running out on the field. Then his dad phoned and said I
needed to get down there."

Grey was running out a groundball on Feb. 26 when the throw was to
the home plate side of first base. It hit him on the side of the
face and a portion of the helmet. It created one of those sounds
that instantly turn your stomach because a ball traveling at
80-some mph meeting bone provides a horrific thud.

"That play comes close to happening so many times but never does,"
Desert Vista baseball coach Stan Luketich. "It was the darndest
thing."

Grey was unconscious and when he was brought to he couldn't see
anybody and everything was black. Everything eventually came into
focus, but he couldn't remember anything after getting hit. It was
clear something neurological was happening so he was taken to
urgent care and then on to Chandler Regional Medical Center.

"Once we got to the hospital I stopped being nurse and became mom
again," said Deanna, who works on the pediatrics floor at Mercy
Gilbert Medical Center. "He said something good was going to come
from this and all he cared about was when he could play
again."

Grey ended up having two fractures in his jaw along with a
concussion. He had a 2-and-a-half-hour surgery on March 2 to repair
it with a metal plate and his mouth is still wired shut. He hopes
to resume baseball drills - even though he was throwing just two
days, swollen face and all, after surgery at home - on March 23 if
the doctor clears him.

"It is such a shame because he worked harder than ever this
offseason," Luketich said. "We hope to get him back and help us the
last month of the season."

If Grey has his way, he will do more than just help. The 6-foot-4,
180-pound pitcher/center fielder expects to get back to where he
was before the injury.

"I know I can get there," said Grey, with his dad, Rod, helping to
interpret. "It's time to get back. We want to finish the season
strong and I can be part of it."

Grey, who has received great support from his teammates, lost about
20 pounds at one point. He has put about half of it back on through
protein shakes and soup, but he probably won't be able to get in
games right away. He will have to work his way back and also wear
specially designed helmets when he is pitching or batting.

It is something he will have to get used to but Grey, who is 0-1
with a 3.50 ERA on the season after one start, will do just about
anything to get back on the mound.

"I don't think there will be (any hesitation after getting hit),"
Grey said. "I just want to play and get back out there."

He had aspirations of signing a scholarship for college, but will
most likely have to start at a local junior college. That is
something to worry about down the line.

Right now Grey, who says he will never have chocolate milk again
because he has had so many protein shakes since surgery, is just as
concerned about eating that first real meal once he is able to eat
solid foods again.